Re: How to link carism and environmentalism
Gabrielle Hermann <gabbyherm-/[email protected]> Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:55:48 -0400
| Newsgroups | gmane.politics.activism.carfree-network |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--Apple-Mail-110-663877981 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Oh man, I feel for you! I'm an American/German living in Germany for precis= ely that reason. I just wrote a scientific article on car-free households (= hopefully to be published early next year, if accepted). One of the great p= aradoxes is that being an environmentalist is in some cases negatively asso= ciated with being car-free. There are a bunch of psychologists in Germany t= rying to figure out this irony. One of the theoretical constructs that has = been used to explain this is called the Theory of Planned Behavior. For in= stance, the likelihood that an individual will develop an intention to trav= el by bicycle increases if that person holds a positive attitude towards bi= cycles and believes that bicycling conditions are safe and cycling is a fas= t and efficient transport-mode (not to mention a belief in the ability to r= ide a bicycle). Once the intention to bicycle is sufficiently high, actual = bicycling behavior will result. The PhD by Steve Melia (found online) expla= ins this theory pretty well.=20 Here are some conclusions I reached in my article, which was a literature r= eview of German- and Anglophone research on car-free households:=20 - majority of people are car-free to save money.=20 - After becoming car-free, environmental awareness about negative environme= ntal affects can increase because they no longer have to fight the cognitiv= e dissonance caused by their car driving habits. They're free-er to face it= once their car is gone.=20 - To convince people to give up their car, better to focus on health and ec= onomic benefits. Young environmentalists might be more attracted to the bic= ycle because it offers flexibility, speed, and keeps them in shape. I reali= zed in Canada that teh cold makes this more difficult.=20 - New technologies (car sharing, smart phones) can make car-free living mor= e attractive and cool.=20 Hope this helps! And good luck :)=20 Gabrielle On Oct 12, 2012, at 3:41 PM, Robert Dierker wrote: > Hello. >=20 > I volunteer for several environmental groups in Vancouver Canada. One= thing they seem to have in common is a belief that the use of cars is a ne= cessary evil within their organizations. I can send many examples, if requ= ested, but I'm sure you've all seen it. =20 >=20 > Canada and the US are stuck in a well orchestrated car culture - no do= ubt about it - and the natural resources of Canada are now hijacked by fore= ign corporate giants. Their government lobby efforts and PR machines are i= n full force here. >=20 > My great concern, now, is that our new batch of young environmentalist= s can't leave their cars behind. This is not particularly new, but seems t= o be more pronounced than it used to be. Our environmental movements can't= move forward with this kind of base line. >=20 > I have no particular influence within Vancouver's environmental moveme= nt, however I want to affect this one component of change: I want these gro= ups to weigh the value of each member's opinion and motivation with respect= to their personal activities with cars. >=20 > Before I go I would like to remind any reader that Canada gets REALLY = cold. These groups have to define models that will work in an individualis= tic, affluent society at -25c. >=20 > How do I do this? Please help. >=20 > Robert. > 604-440-0860 >=20 > --=20 > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "World Carfree Network" group. > To post to this group, send email to carfree_network-/[email protected] > Replies are sent to the author of the message. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > carfree_network-unsubscribe-/[email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den --=20 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World Carfree Network" group. To post to this group, send email to carfree_network-/[email protected] Replies are sent to the author of the message. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to carfree_network-unsubscribe-/[email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den --Apple-Mail-110-663877981 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <html><head></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode:= space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Oh man, I feel for you! I'= m an American/German living in Germany for precisely that reason. I just wr= ote a scientific article on car-free households (hopefully to be published = early next year, if accepted). One of the great paradoxes is that being an = environmentalist is in some cases negatively associated with being car-free= . There are a bunch of psychologists in Germany trying to figure out this i= rony. One of the theoretical constructs that has been used to explain this = is called the Theory of Planned Behavior. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>59</o:Words> <o:Characters>341</o:Characters> <o:Company>ITDP</o:Company> <o:Lines>2</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>418</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEve= ry> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=3D"false" LatentStyleCount=3D"276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D"edit" spidmax=3D"1026"/> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext=3D"edit"> <o:idmap v:ext=3D"edit" data=3D"1"/> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><span style=3D"line-height: 150%; "><font class=3D"Appl= e-style-span" face=3D"'Arial Narrow'">For instance, the likelihood that an individual will develop an intention to travel by bicycl= e increases if that person holds a positive attitude towards bicycles <u>and<= /u> believes that bicycling conditions are safe and cycling is a fast and effic= ient transport-mode (not to mention a belief in the ability to ride a bicycle). = Once the intention to bicycle is sufficiently high, actual bicycling behavior wi= ll result.</font></span> The PhD by Steve Melia (found online) explains t= his theory pretty well. <div><br></div><div>Here are some conclusions = I reached in my article, which was a literature review of German- and Anglo= phone research on car-free households: <div><br></div><div>- majority = of people are car-free to save money. </div><div>- After becoming car-= free, environmental awareness about negative environmental affects can incr= ease because they no longer have to fight the cognitive dissonance caused b= y their car driving habits. They're free-er to face it once their car is go= ne. </div><div>- To convince people to give up their car, better to fo= cus on health and economic benefits. Young environmentalists might be more = attracted to the bicycle because it offers flexibility, speed, and keeps th= em in shape. I realized in Canada that teh cold makes this more difficult.&= nbsp;</div><div>- New technologies (car sharing, smart phones) can make car= -free living more attractive and cool. </div><div><br></div><div>Hope = this helps! And good luck :) </div><div><br></div><div>Gabrielle</div>= <div><div><br><div><div>On Oct 12, 2012, at 3:41 PM, Robert Dierker wrote:<= /div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><fon= t size=3D"4">Hello.<br><br> I volunteer for several environment= al groups<font size=3D"4"> in Vancouver Canada. On<font size=3D"4">e = thing they seem to have in common is a belief that the use of cars is a nec= essary evil within their organizations.<font size=3D"4"> <font size= =3D"4">I can send many examples, if requested, but I'm sure you've all seen= it.</font></font> <br><br><font size=3D"4"> </font>Canad= a and the US are stuck in a well <font size=3D"4">orchestrated</font> car c= ulture - no doubt about it<font size=3D"4"> - and the natural resources of = Canada <font size=3D"4">are</font> no<font size=3D"4">w hijacked by foreign= corporate giants. The<font size=3D"4">ir government lobby efforts an= d PR machines are in full force here.<br><br></font> M</font>y = great concern, now, is that <font size=3D"4">our new batch of young environ= mentalists can't leave their car<font size=3D"4">s behind. This is no= t particularly new, but <font size=3D"4">seems to be</font> more pronounced= <font size=3D"4"> than it used to be.</font> Our <font size=3D"4">env= ironmental</font> movements can't move forward with this kind of base line.= <br><br><font size=3D"4"> I have no particular influence within= Vancouver's environmental movement<font size=3D"4">, however I want to <fo= nt size=3D"4">affect this one component of change: I want these groups to <= font size=3D"4">weigh</font> the value of <font size=3D"4">each</font> memb= er's opinion </font></font></font>and motivation with respect to their pers= onal activities with cars.<br><br><font size=3D"4"> Before I go= I would like to remind any reader that Canada gets REALLY cold. Thes= e groups have to define models that will work in an individualistic, afflue= nt society at -25c.</font><br><br><font size=3D"4"> <font size= =3D"4">How do I do this? Please help.<br><br><font size=3D"4">Robert.= <br><font size=3D"4">604-440-0860</font><br></font></font></font></font></f= ont></font></font></font></font><div><br class=3D"webkit-block-placeholder"= ></div> -- <br> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google<br> Groups "World Carfree Network" group.<br> To post to this group, send email to <a href=3D"mailto:carfree_network@goog= legroups.com">carfree_network-/[email protected]</a><br> Replies are sent to the author of the message.<br> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to<br> <a href=3D"mailto:carfree_network-unsubscribe-/[email protected]">carfree_net= work-unsubscribe-/[email protected]</a><br> For more options, visit this group at<br> <a href=3D"http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den">= http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den</a></blockqu= ote></div><br></div></div></div></body></html> <p></p> -- <br /> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google<br /> Groups "World Carfree Network" group.<br /> To post to this group, send email to carfree_network-/[email protected]<br /> Replies are sent to the author of the message.<br /> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to<br /> carfree_network-unsubscribe-/[email protected]<br /> For more options, visit this group at<br /> <a href=3D"http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den">= http://groups.google.com/group/carfree_network?hl=3Den?hl=3Den</a> --Apple-Mail-110-663877981--